My Boy
by aToriStory
Summary: Rocinante decides to adopt a child. Law's been in the orphanage for quite a while. Just a bunch of Papa Cora and Little Law fluff as they go through their life together.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: What's this? Something new? Oh yes, you bet your sweet ass it's something new!**

 **I was laying around in bed about a week and a half ago scrolling through tumblr and looking at a bunch of Papa Cora and Little Law stuff and thought to myself, 'What if I wrote an AU where everything is happy about Corazon adopting Law and just their life?' and so I did. It'll eventually turn out to be LawLu as Law grows and meets Luffy but that's some ways off.**

 **I think it's okay. I didn't want to bug my editor about editing this story for me, she already edits so much, so I** **tried my best on my own. Forgive my mistakes. Also I'm working on expanding my vocabulary so I used some big words! So if it feels a little weird reading them I'm sorry that the rest of the story isn't on the same level as the words .**

 **Anyway, please enjoy this fic! I hope to post a new chapter bi-weekly. So I'll update this story the same week I update Little Moments. (Speaking of I should have the next two chapters for that up by Wednesday~)**

 **Note: The chapter titles are the names of feelings you can't really describe.**

Chapter 1) Sonder

The blonde flipped open the cell phone and punched in a number. Smiling, he careened onto the side of his car and waited for the recipient of the call to pick up.

"Hello, Corazon!" The voice said in a happy time.

"Hello my dear brother." He hummed. "The woman at the orphanage called me today so I'm going to look at the children. Just thought I'd let you know."

"Rocinante you aren't serious, are you? Do you even know how to raise a child? I thought we'd discussed this?" The voice suddenly losing its light hearted timbre.

"Oh, but I am." Rocinante smiled. "It's not as if the child will be living with you, Doflamingo." He pointed out.

"While that is correct, you visit often. I'm sure you'd bring the brat along with you." He sighed. "But whatever. I'm not going to tell you what you can and can't do."

Rocinante grinned and started walking towards the big brick building. Looking up he made sure he was at the right place. North Blue orphanage' yes he was where he needed to be. "Alright I'll bring them by to meet you at some point. Goodbye." He clicked 'end call' and shoved the phone into his pocket.

"Donquixote Rocinante!" A voice called out as he approached the steps. He looked up to see a middle aged woman smiling brightly. "I'm so glad you could come on such short notice!"

"Good afternoon, Ms. Johnson!" He called out with a smile of his own. Walking up the stairs he asked, "how are you?"

"Oh I'm just fine, Rocinante. I'm so excited for you to meet the kids, you're going to love them!" She laughed and ushered him in the building.

"I hope so!" He responded, twirling one of the strings on his hat. "I take it everything's been ran through and finalized?" He inquired.

"Yup! You're all set! Now you just have to choose which child you want." She confirmed. "I have a list of names and information for you but why don't we go observe them first?"

She led him up an elephantine staircase in the main hallway and to a balcony on the second floor. It overlooked the back of the building where the children were all currently playing. He smiled and watched them all. He never really liked children but it was lonely at home and maybe a child would do him some good. Doffy would appreciate him visiting less often.

"They're all so sweet." Ms. Johnson smiled softly. He nodded and continued to scrutinize. His eye caught on one particular boy in a strange spotted hat. The boy sat in the shade under an ancient oak with a big complicated looking book. He seemed to be ignoring the other kids in the yard and vice versa.

"Who's that?" He asked, gesturing to where he sat. "The one under the oak with the giant book."

Ms. Johnson glanced over to where he pointed and frowned. "That's Law."

"Why doesn't he play with the other children?" The man inquired.

"They're afraid of him." She answered artlessly. "He was brought to us a year ago; before that he was at three other orphanages." The woman frowned. "You know where he came from and what the marks on his skin mean. Poor thing. He lost his whole family and town to the Amber Lead Syndrome a few years back."

Rocinante frowned deeply and shook his head, some overlong blonde hair falling into his eyes. "They shouldn't just exclude him like that for marks on his skin." he said quietly. "What happened in Flevance doesn't mean anything. The disease isn't contagious."

The woman nodded. "We've tried explaining that to the other kids but you know how a lot of people still treat the survivors of the Amber Lead..."

"That's terrible." Rocinante looked at him a little longer before deciding. "I want to talk to him."

"Okay, follow me!" Ms. Johnson's smile returned and she clasped her hands together. "It'll do that boy some good to talk to someone new." She lead him into a small conference room a few doors down from the balcony and told him to wait.

He sat in the chair and sighed. ' _What are you doing, Rocinante?'_ he asked himself. ' _Are you thinking this through? Do you really have what it takes to raise a child?'_ he laid his head in his hand and rubbed his temple. " _No. You can do this. Screw what Doffy says.'_ he took a deep breath and straightened up in his chair. A few minutes after his mini-self doubt session the door opened and the woman was back with the boy behind her.

"Okay, Law." She started, pulling out a chair for him across from Rocinante. "You two have a nice talk and I'll be right back. Okay?" She waited patiently for Law to respond back to her but no response came. She looked slightly worried but retreated from the room anyway.

"So," He started, extending a hand to the boy. "I'm Donquixote Rocinante. You can call me Corazon. I'm a marine."

The boy looked at his hand for a long time. "I hate marines." Law said astringently. Rocinante retracted it.

"Heh...So...Do you have a name?" He tried again. This wasn't going the way he'd hoped.

"Trafalgar D. Water Law." He said quietly, sitting down.

"That's a nice name." The marine smiled, hoping to get anything out of the kid. So far nothing.

"How old are you?" Rocinante asked. Maybe if he tried a few more get to know you questions then he'd open up a bit more.

"Ten." Law answered, the black and white hat hiding his eyes from the elder.

"Ten, huh?" The blonde grinned. "I got into a lot of trouble when I was ten." He hoped to spark some sort of conversation.

"Why are you doing this?" Law asked bitterly. "There isn't any point in having this interview. I'm an abomination and you wouldn't want to be seen anywhere with me anyway." Rocinante could see the child's anger and hurt in the way he stared at the floor and wrung his hands. "So why?"

"Mind if I answer your question with one of my own?" he didn't get an answer so he deemed it okay. "Why do you assume there's not a chance I just wanted to talk to you?"

"You..." Law blinked, baffled. "You'd want to talk to me?"

Rocinante smiled at him. "Of course! You looked interesting with that big book out there. What's it about anyway?"

"It's a book about medical procedures." He answered a little more upbeat. "My father was a doctor and I wanted to study with him to become one too...but that was before..." And just like that the slight happiness drained away.

"So you like medicine?" Rocinante inquired. "That's neat!"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Do you…" Rocinante ransacked his brain for another question. "...have a favorite animal?"

"Polar bear." Law responded quickly. "They're cool."

"They are pretty cool arent they?" Law half-smiled a bit and nodded.

"Do you have any friends?" Rocinante asked, trying to get anything out of this boy.

"No." He let out a sharp breath. "They're all scared of me. They think that I'm going to pass on the syndrome. Ms. Johnson and some of the helpers tell them that it's not possible but they don't listen to them."

Rocinante tilted his head a little. "Don't you try to explain too?" He asked.

Law shook his head. "I used to. But now it's just so much easier to pretend the syndrome will spread than failing to get the other kids to understand that it won't." He explained amaroidally.

This ten year old child had been left in such a shitty situation that it turned him so bitter, coffee would be jealous. The marine shook his head. He couldn't let this kid continue to assimilate the drivel he'd been hearing the past three years. For god's sake he liked medicine and polar bears. Those are likeable qualities! He was going to make sure this kid knew what it was like to be loved again. Screw the other kids to be considered; if they didn't feel like giving Law their time then why should he give them his? All because of a sickness they weren't in any danger from.

"I believe we're done here." Rocinante said, standing up and walking past the kid to the door. He heard Law breathe in deep and let it out. "So pack your things."

Law turned sharply to look at him in shock. The marine smiled and walked out the door, tripping and catching himself on the door frame before straightening himself and walking out. Law looked with wide eyes at the space the man who just said he'd _adopt_ _ **him**_ left from.

When Rocinante walked into the hallway he saw Ms. Johnson and a few other people huddled together on a bench waiting. When they spotted him they all shot up. Ms. Johnson stepped forward and gave an apprehensive smile. "Well?" She asked.

"I think he's the human version of an espresso." He told her. He saw her and the others faces fall a little, chagrin evident in their faces. "Which is why I'm choosing him."

Ms. Johnson blinked a few times, looking quite baffled. "You're serious?" she asked, her eyes holding a small amount of hope. He nodded and the helpers behind her started cheering. "I can't believe this. Finally, Law's got someone to choose him." She smiled bigger than Rocinante'd ever seen her smile in the half a year he'd known her. "You don't know how long we've waited to see him have a better opportunity of living a happy life."

"Well, that's exactly what I plan on giving him." He confirmed, glancing back at the do to the room he'd just come from. Law stood there leaning halfway out the door listening. "Well," he said to the boy. "Go get your big book and let's go!" Rocinante laughed, enjoying the light in the bitter boy's eyes. Law nodded and hurried past him and up the wooden stairs.

He turned back to Ms. Johnson and rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Okay let's get this all settled."

She nodded and ushered the helpers away, reminding them of things that had to be done in the orphanage. "You just need to sign a few papers and you'll be done. Oh, I'm so excited!" She babbled some more about how happy she was until he'd signed the papers.

"Well you're all done!" She grinned, collecting the papers and organizing them into a file. "If Law is all ready to go I'll walk you both out to the car!" Rocinante nodded, twirling the string from his cap again. "All we have to do is find hi- oh! There he is!" She pointed down at the main level. "I'll be down in a minute I just need to gather a few things." He nodded and moved toward the staircase, looking down at the boy he'd just adopted.

Law sat on a bench in the main hallway. A small suitcase lay on the floor and his giant book perched on the armrest beside him. He was looking down at his feet, swinging them a little, letting the half-way untied shoelaces fly back and forth.

Rocinante was almost to the staircase when he saw a group of kids around Law's age saunter up to him. Going on what Law told him about the kids here, the blonde didn't think they were going to wish him a happy farewell.

"Getting kicked out of this one too, Law?" A dark haired boy sneered, his small arms crossed over his chest. Law ignored him, continuing to watch his shoelace oscillate. The boy apparently did not like this reaction, or lack of, and moved his hands to his hips. "I'm talking to you, Spotty! Or has that sickness taken your hearing too?"

Law's eyes snapped up to look at the boy while the aggressor's posse snickered. Rocinante could tell he wanted to say something, or do something. Instead he chose to keep quiet and shift his eyes back down. ' _Good job',_ the marine grinned. He was proud of how the boy, his boy, was dealing with this group so far. he liked the sound of that. _His boy._ He smiled a little at the thought. However, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to happen, so he quickened his pace.

One of the boy's friends, a little brown haired girl, stepped up to Law. "What, you're not going to talk?" She asked condescendingly. She turned her head to the side before snatching up the old book of medical terms.

"Give that back!" He yelled out, moving to grab the book. Rocinante didn't like the look of this at all. He quickened his pace down the grand staircase, praying to god he didn't trip. "Put it down, it isn't yours!" By now, the girl was moving around, clutching the book tightly above her head out of Law's reach. Her friends were cheering her on.

"Why?" She asked. "Why don't you leave it here and go to the new orphanage without it? It'll help you look less weird."

Another child spoke up. "His spots make up for the weird book!" he guffawed, sending the small gang into another fit of laughter. Rocinante was furious at this point. No snotty child was going to treat Law that way. Not on his watch. He walked up to the group and snatched the book out of the girl's hands.

By now the clique had noticed the appearance of the altitudinous blonde and had gone still and quiet. "I don't think it's fair how you're all treating this boy." He said, face set in a disapproved stare.

"Are you here to take him to the new orphanage?" The first boy asked, his arms back in their original crossed formation.

"No." He answered honestly. "I'm here to take him home." He wished he had a picture of their faces. He'd have hung it in the living room.

"You can't be serious, mister!" A little blonde girl exclaimed. "He's a sick kid! He'll get you sick too!" The other children nodded fervently.

Rocinante sighed. "No, he will not. The Amber Lead Syndrome can hurt me no more than it can you. He is not contagious, nor is he sick. He is perfectly healthy." He handed the book back to Law who grabbed ahold of it and clutched it to his chest. "He was cured. And the spots on his skin are a reminder of how much he lost. If you all had listened to the helpers here you would have understood all of this. I don't have time for any of you or your ludicrous words, and neither does my boy. Please leave." They all stood still for a moment, possibly too afraid to move, until they raced away.

Law looked up at him, book still clutched to his chest. "T-thanks…" He muttered.

"Huh?" Rocinante pressed a hand to his ear and cupped it. Leaning down to Law's level he asked, "What was that?"

Law scowled. "You heard me." Rocinante laughed.

"Are you boys ready?" Ms. Johnson called from the stairs.

"Are you?" The blonde asked the dark haired child.

Law sighed. "As I'll ever be."

Rocinante beamed and scooped up Law's small suitcase. "In that case let's go home!"

Law'd never admit it out loud but he'd never been happier to hear those words.

 **A/N: As always please leave a review so I know if you guys liked it, or didn't like it. Things I could change, things I should keep doing and so forth. Thank you so much for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A\N: Let me start off by saying when I posted this at 2:30am i didn't expect to wake up less than 12 hours later with 16 notifications. You guys don't know how freaking happy that made me. Tuesdays usually suck but that one….man you guys rock.**

 **I'd originally planned to have this chapter out when I had Little Moments out but then my job got super busy and life picked up and I didn't have time for anything. I'm determined not to let this story become one of those that sit around and never get touched though. I like it too much for that to happen. So for now I'm taking the update schedule off this story. I leave for college in a week so once life settles in I'll make another schedule for it.**

 **I'd like to group all the reviews I got for this into one response, if I can, and say:  
The world does need more Papa-Cora in it, there isn't enough at all. Corazon just makes me melt and when he's all fatherly im dead xD **

**Also holy shit guys there are a lot of reviews i almost cried seeing them all~**

 **Chapter 2:Enouement**

Rocinante popped the trunk open and set the boy's suitcase inside. He couldn't help noticing how light it felt. They'd have to go shopping soon. He leaned into the driver's side and started the engine and then turned on the AC. Leaning back up out of the car he smiled softly at what he saw.

Ms. Johnson was knelt down, her arms around Law who looked quite dolorous. He looked to Rocinante as if saying ' _Get her off of me'._ The blonde chuckled and walked to the other side of the car, opening the back door. "Well I guess we better head off." He said, not wanting to ruin the woman's last goodbye to him. However, Law didn't look like he enjoyed it much so he had to intervene just a little.

Ms. Johnson nodded and released the boy from her arms. "Okay," she started, wiping a tear from her eye. "You better be good, you hear me? Mind your manners and be nice. I'm going to miss you so much."

"I will." He reassured her before walking to the car and climbing into the back seat.

Rocinante waited to make sure he was comfortable before closing the door and turning to the woman. "Thank you for helping me out the past few months. I assure you he's in safe hands." She nodded and wrung her hands.

"I know he is, Rocinante. You're a marine after all." She laughed lightly. "I just worry about him. I'm glad he has a home now."

The blonde smiled and nodded. "Completely understandable. And if you're ever in Dressrosa give us a call, you're welcome to visit."

She shook her head. "I've got my hands filled with this lot." She nodded her head back at the building. "But if i manage to find myself over in that area I won't hesitate to take you up on that offer."

He grinned and laughed. "You take care." He told her. She nodded and moved to walk back to the building and he walked to the driver's side of the car. Sliding in, he turned to look at the child in the back seat. " You hungry?" he asked. No response. "We've got a long drive ahead of us."

"A little." Law answered. "How long of a drive?" he inquired.

"Around three hours. Dressrosa is in New World county." He answered.

"You live in Dressrosa?" Law asked, suddenly interested.

Rocinante chuckled. "Yup! My brother is the head of a big business that supplies lots of places with different things so he got me a house there. He lives in Dressrosa as well but on a separate property. I can't wait until you see it, Law, you're going to love it."

Law shrugged. "We'll see. But about food…" He trailed off.

The blonde glanced into the rearview mirror. "I'm down for anything really. Where we eat is up to you."

The boy thought for a moment before answering. "Is there a place where I can get just like...i dunno...something simple?" he asked.

"What like sandwiches?" Rocinante asked.

"No. I hate bread." Law scoffed.

After a little bit of discussion they found themselves at a small chinese restaurant a little ways out of the city. Law requested a bowl of rice and a sprite and then wandered to a small window booth. While he thought it odd for a ten year old to like something so plain he didn't ask and ordered the food. He himself had a bunch of random choices off the menu. Honestly, he wasn't exactly sure what he ordered. But it was food.

"So, Law," Rocinante started, sliding into the other side of the booth. "What's on your mind?"

Law turned his attention from the window to the blonde and back to the window. "You called me your boy. Back with those kids…" He trailed off.

Rocinante rubbed the back of his head and laughed nervously. "W-well I mean...you are….sorta...i mean….I won't do it again if you don't want me to."

"It's okay…" Law said looking down at the table, a small blush coating his spotted face. "You can if you want, I don't mind." To be honest, Law liked it. He was someones. This _marine_ of all people wanted to adopt him and care for him. He could call Law whatever he wanted to and the boy wouldn't mind.

"Good." Rocinante breathed a sigh of relief. "How do you feel?" He asked. "About all of this?"

"It's nice to be somewhere other than the orphanage. It's really nice to be away from the other kids." He said honestly.

"Those kids pissed me off. How'd you deal with them every day?"

"A lot of patience." Law said. "Mostly I just ignored them. But sometimes they'd do things like take my book or my hat. Then they'd run around with them until a helper or Ms. Johnson noticed and came to help."

Rocinante hummed in response. "Why's that book so special anyway? Or the hat?" He inquired. The two were going to be living together and he wanted to learn all he could about the boy before he screwed something up.

"The hat was given to me by my mother and my sister." He explained. "The book was my father's when he began medicine. I want to be a doctor too. So he gave it to me when I began school."

"That's a very special book then, eh?" The blonde asked and Law smiled. "It's no wonder you'd get mad when they took it."

The waitress brought out their meals and they made more small talk as they ate. Law figured out that Rocinante only worked with the marines when they needed him so he was off a lot of the time. They discussed things they needed to get on their way to Dressrosa like some new clothes and shampoo for Law. They decided to get that in Mariejois before they reached home. The blonde also gathered that the dark haired boy was apprehensive about going out in public; asking questions like "Would I have to go in with you?". He figured it was based on his insecurity for his appearance. It induced angry and upset feelings within the man to think Law would rather hide himself than go out in public because of what other people had done to him. He wished he could wave a magic wand and make everything okay. Sadly, the world didn't seem to work like they did in movies.

"What was it you wanted me to call you?" Law asked as they left the restaurant.

"Corazon." Rocinante said, holding the door open for him.

"That's a weird name." Law commented walking out to the car until heard a thud behind him. He turned around to find Rocinante on his back on the ground. "Did you…... _fall_?" He asked, a small smirk on his face.

"I'm clumsy…" Rocinante groaned and sat up.

"Maybe I should call you Clutz instead?" Law laughed.

"That's probably a better name." Rocinante grinned at the sound of his laughter. Finally he'd gotten something other than a scoff out of the kid. "Now let's go. You can ride shotgun if you want." Law smiled and picked up his pace a little to get the the passenger seat door.

"Mom, why is he so weird looking?" Rocinante smile faded fast and he scanned the parking lot for the culprit. He found a little girl pointing towards Law. Her mother locked eyes with Rocinante and quickly pulled her child along. "He's sick, Rosie." She explained embarrassedly. Rocinante fumed. There was nothing wrong with him.

Rocinante worriedly glanced at Law who had his hand on the door handle. His smile had also vanished and he went back to looking like he did under the tree at the orphanage.

"Hey, Kiddo." Rocinante walked over and placed a hand on the smaller boy's shoulder. "Ignore them. I don't think you look weird."

"You'd be the first." Law said quietly.

Rocinante let go of his shoulder and placed his hand on the top of his hat. "There's a first to everything, Law." He rubbed the hat into Law's hair until the boy's frown had transformed into a playful smile. "Now get in, i'll let you choose the radio station."

Halfway to Dressrosa, Law went silent. Rocinante looked over to find the kid slumped over his book asleep. Smiling he turned the radio down and made it his mission to avoid all the bumps and rough patches on the highway. Law needed some sleep and seeing as how tired he was Rocinante figured shopping could wait until tomorrow. He'd just give him one of his old shirts to sleep in tonight.

Finally he made it to Dressrosa.

He was exhausted from driving and it was about 8pm. Why'd he even think shopping today was a good idea? He drove through town and up into the more expensive part of the city. Honestly, he would have been fine renting a nice little apartment but Doffy insisted to buy him a house. " _Only the best for my little brother!"_ He'd said, dragging him around to look at houses. Finally he'd dragged him through one that caught his eye. It was a relatively small house compared to the other giant ones on the same block. It had vines climbing up the side wall with beautiful flowers blooming all along them. A garden complete with a small pond and fountain was set up behind the house and a next to that, a small pool and a large empty space. A little excessive, the blonde thought, but very beautiful.

He turned up the drive and pulled into the driveway and parked. Getting out, he dug his house key out of his pockets and readied it in his hand. He opened the passenger side door and leaned over the sleeping child to unbuckled the seatbelt. Gently, he scooped up Law and fixed him to where he could hold him with one arm in order for him to have a hand to unlock the door with. Rocinante was halfway up the front walk when he felt Law's small arms snake their way around his neck. He smiled, happy that Law felt comfortable enough to even subconsciously relax around someone. Maybe it's because he hadn't insulted or made fun of him? Rocinante didn't know but he was sure that Law'd probably deny doing it if he brought it up in the morning.

He unlocked the door and softly closed the door behind him before walking slowly up the stairs so he wouldn't wake Law and holding tight to the railing so he wouldn't trip and fall. He didn't want to disturb the boy. Half because he was enjoying the peaceful look on Law's face and half because he knew he'd be back to being the bitter child again who wouldn't let Rocinante carry him up the stairs. He was selfish but it was for good reasons, right?

He opened the guest bedroom and pulled back the covers on the bed and benevolently put Law down. The boy was still in his clothes from the day but having him change would require waking him. He slowly took off the hat Law loved so much and laid it next to him on the side table. Rocinante covered him up and pulled the door closed and headed back downstairs to get the suitcase and the medical book before going to bed himself. As he locked the car and started for the house he wondered if Law was an early riser.

He hoped not.

 **So there it is! I haven't really had time to go in depth and edit due to the fact my glasses are somewhere not on my face and my eyes are tired. And I'm pretty sure I've read it eighteen times so the words just sorta blur together. If there's mistakes then sue me. It's not the best chapter I could have produced but it isn't the worst either (i hope). Thank you for reading! Please review and let me know what you thought! It would mean a lot!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello. It's me.**

 **So I haven't updated this one in a while but I told you I wasn't going to let this one just lie dormant. SO here I am~**

 **It's a little shorter than the other two chapters but Doffy is introduced so have fun with that! Also I already have the basic idea going for the next chapter so it shouldn't be too long before I post that.**

 **Thank you guys so much for reading!**

 **Chapter 3: Monachopsis**

Law woke up in a strange bed with pastel colored walls and sheets that smelled like spring. He sat up quickly and looked around, noticing his hat and book on the side table next to him. A note was under the book.

 _Law,_

 _You fell asleep in the car last night and I didn't want to wake you so I just carried you up here and put you in my spare bed. There's a empty room downstairs you can have if you want it. We can go shopping to make it yours later. But anyway, I'm downstairs if you need me! Sweet dreams!_

 _-Corazon_

He rolled his eyes but smiled at the note nonetheless, relief spreading through him as he was reminded that yesterday wasn't just a cruel dream. He wondered why he didn't wake up as Corazon had carried him but decided that he had just been too worn out from the day's events to care. He flipped up the covers and swung his legs over the side of the bed and let them dangle for a moment while he debated changing clothes or not. The ones he was in were a day old now and he had slept in them. He decided to change. He only had one more change of clothes in his suitcase, but Corazon did say they'd go shopping.

After changing clothes and slipping his hat on his head he gathered up his book in his arms and opened the bedroom door. He'd feel cleaner after brushing his teeth. Corazon said he'd be downstairs right? All he had to do was go down. Easy right? Peeking around the corner he determined no one was there and he emerged from the spare room to descend the stairs.i

"Fleevance, Roci?!" Law heard a voice ascend from down the stairs. Law froze and waited for a confirmation that the semi-angry voice wasn't about to come to him. The voice wasn't Corazon's, he knew that for sure. But who would be talking about his hometown like that in the house? Would Corazon let them? Was this a way for Law to see his true feeling about him? He was probably just like the kids back at the orphanage; just better at hiding it.

"Doffy," Now this was Corazon. Law crept down the stairs a little more, leaning around the corner to see the owners of the voices. "You know just as well as I do that Fleevance was a horrible tragedy. There's no reason to treat him any different than a regular child. Because you know what?" There was no reply from the other voice. "I'll take your silence as a no, so let me educate you. He is a regular child. And I'm not going to allow you to treat him the same way he's been treated for the last four years."

There was a tense silence in the room before he heard the other voice sigh. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. I can give him a chance."

"Good. I don't want to hear any more on the topic." Corazon finalized the conversation. "I wonder if Law's awake. Maybe I should go get him. We should go shopping today. But what if I wake him up and it's too soon? What if he's angry when you wake him up before he wants to be woken up? What if-" He was cut off by the other voice clearing his throat.

"Roci, you're overreacting again. Just be yourself around him and he'll be himself. Stop fretting over waking the kid up. You're both new to this so even if you do fuck up something as mundane as waking him up I doubt he'd hold it against you."

"Yeah, you're right, thanks Doffy. I'll go get him, you wait here and don't move." Law heard movement towards the stairs and bolted back up as quickly as he could. Racing back into the room he softly shut the door and looked around. It was too late to pretend he was still asleep. Maybe-The door opened and Law panicked.

Well, the door opened but Corazon didn't walk through. It was more of a crash as he tripped over nothing and fell flat on his face. Law's eyes widened and he walked over to stand over the fallen marine. "You good, Cora-San?" He asked.

"What did you just call me?" Corazon's muffled voice floated up to Law and for the second time in less than thirty minutes he panicked.

"I...uh….I said Cora-San…" He stuttered. "If that's not okay with you then whatever but-" He was cut off by the older man scooping him up into a big hug.

"He called me Cora-San!" He exclaimed, nearly squeezing the life from the poor child in his arms. He then raced out of the room and down the stairs, Law fearing for his life the entire time. When they safely reached the bottom of the steps, (thank God), Corazon made a sharp left turn and held Law out to show the owner of the other voice. "HE CALLED ME CORA-SAN!" he yelled, causing the man to flinch.

"Again with the overreaction of the mundane, baby brother." The other stood and removed Law from Corazon's clutches. Despite what he had previously said not ten minutes ago, Law began to feel appreciation for him. "You've got to be careful."

"Ah, I know." The marine grinned. "But I just got so excited!"

The man, Law now knew as Corazon's older brother, tsked and put his hand on Law's

shoulder. "I am so sorry you have to deal with this." he sighed. Law couldn't help but question why the man was wearing sunglasses indoors. It didn't seem like a practical thing to do? What was he shielding his eyes from? He supposed he'd never know.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean!" Corazon protested.

"No, it's okay." Law responded, looking up at the taller man. "I'll get used to it."

"Hah! Roci, you've got a keeper!" The man in the sunglasses laughed. "Tell 'ya what, kid. If you ever need help, or escape, you give Uncle Doffy a call okay?" He handed him a business card and saluted. "I've got a business meeting soon. See you guys later."

"I will!" Law grinned and took the card from him. Corazon deflated at the scene.

Doffy started for the door before Corazon followed yelling "WHAT DO YOU MEAN ESCAPE? AND HELP? IT'S YOU HE'D NEED TO RUN AWAY FROM!"

"Relax, Cora-San, it was only a joke." Doffy grinned before shutting the door behind him.

Law grinned and laughed. "Yeah, Cora-San it was only joke." He was having more fun in one hour here than he'd ever had in the last five years. But he couldn't help thinking in the back of his mind how much longer it would last.

Corazon grinned, going back to his happy state. "I like the sound of that, Cora-San."

Law rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say."

 **A/N: Please leave a review telling me things you liked or didn't like! And as always, thanks for reading!**


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